Welcome to Animal Angels Foundation
Animal Angels Foundation is India’s largest and only registered Non Profit organization which has introduced and developed the field and scope of Human-Animal Interaction and Animal Assisted Interventions in India. We are a team of trained therapy dogs / pet parents, volunteers and mental health professionals, who provide human-animal interaction based programs since the past 14 years.
We are Asia’s only organization to be IAHAIO (International Association of Human Animal Interaction Organization) members and an our mission is to ensure uniformity in practice in the field of AAI in India. We follow international standards of practice and have meticulously developed standards of practice for the human and animal teams according to the Indian setting. We provide training and certification to organization, therapists, volunteers and animal – handler teams to ensure professionalism, safety and animal welfare in all visits.
Announcing Animal Angels Therapy Center, our first physical center in Pune
Programs at Animal Angels Therapy Center :
- Animal Assisted Intervention for children and adults – AAI is very effective on issues like autism, anxiety, behaviour issues, socialisation, communication, spontaneous expression, stress etc. These are goal-oriented sessions conducted by a trained therapist.
- Animal Assisted Counseling – Counseling sessions with therapy cat or therapy dog. Experience a unique and relaxed way to work through your problems with our four-footed counsellors.
- Paws to Play – Animal Assisted Activities based on play therapy principles.
- Mindfulness and relaxation with therapy animals – You can just come and play or spend time with our therapy animals or join our mindfulness guided session with therapy animals
- Tails of Joy – Animal Assisted Reading/Education/Drama and movement. Reading out to animals is known to lower inhibitions in young readers and improve their expression, comprehension and vocabulary skills. Join our fun programs where you can read stories, listen to stories, enact stories, and build stories – all with therapy dogs!
Top Stories
Animal Angels team presented at the ISAZ Conference, Australia
Animal Angels team presented at the ISAZ conference held at the University of Sydney in Australia. Read the story . . .
Therapy dogs assisting Dentist to reduce anxiety
In a first of its kind research study in India, D Y Patil University and D Y Patil Dental Hospital, Navi Mumbai, partnered with Animal Angels Foundation, to study and document the effects of having a Therapy Dog present during dental procedures for pediatric patients. Read the story . . .
Animal Assisted Interventions for Caregivers
Animal Angels, in a unique application of AAI has partnered with two NGOs, Prerna and Connecting, to provide Animal Assisted Interventions to the care providers. Read the story . . .
Mrs. Minal Kavishwar, is now an International Pet Partner evaluator!
Our founder, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar, is now an International Pet Partner evaluator, which means teams from India can now be evaluated by Mrs. Minal Kavishwar to further be registered with Pet Partners, which is a global leader in training, evaluation and registration of therapy animal teams. Animal Angels has always strived to bring standardization and authenticity to this field in India and this is a huge step in that direction. Mrs Kavishwar is the first and only Pet Partner evaluators from the India-Asia region. Read the story . . .
Minal Kavishwar gets awarded by the Women Economic Forum
Our founder, Mrs. Minal Kavishwar, was presented with the ‘Exceptional Women of Excellence’ award, at the Women’s Economic Forum held at Vivanta, Dwarka, Delhi, by the All Ladies League. Read the story . . .
Testimonials
Our students are all age 18 and above and sometimes are very difficult lot, they find it difficult to adjust to new settings and people. Most of them are growing older and have a lot of behavioral issues. The Therapy dog team from Animal Angels Foundation is the most exciting thing for them. Therapy dog Moshe has proved to be great catalysts in bringing about various changes in them. Those who were anxious and hyperactive have learned to calm down with the help of the therapy dog. Many of them find it easier to express freely in the presence of the Therapy Dog. It is such a beautiful collaboration as it promotes an inclusive world.
— Vallari
(Activities coordinator at Advitya Creative Center for adults with intellectual disabilities)
The children just love her. Many children, who did not speak / communicate / interact, now sit with Sophie throughout the session. They smile a lot, are very happy. For many, ‘Sophie’ was their first word in the School. We have seen a tremendous positive impact of Sophie’s presence in the school.
— Mrs. Padmaja Godbole
Founder of Prasanna Autism Center Pune, about Therapy dog Sophie, who has been working there with children with Autism as an in-house therapy dog since 2006
In spite of other therapies my child who has Down’s Syndrome was not able to walk at the age of 3 years. Within 3 months of therapy session with Therapy Dog Genie motivated my child to take his first steps. Now he runs and plays with Genie and even takes her for a walk.
— Mrs. Jayanti Gadgil
(Mother of special child)
Animal Angels Foundation, an internationally award winning mental health program, has brought awareness of benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy to many people of India.
— Dr. Cynthia Chandler
(Director of Center for Animal Assisted Therapy at the University of North Texas, Licensed Pet Partner team trainer and evaluator)